At 7:30 PM, Ichin didn't make Eriri stay for overtime. It wasn't time for that yet, so he simply let her go home.
After Eriri left, Ichin turned to look at the rest of the studio, where everyone was still sitting obediently at their desks.
"...What about you guys? Why is no one leaving work today?"
At his words, everyone lifted their heads and exchanged glances.
Then, under Ichin's surprised gaze, the entire group immediately sprang into action, jumping out of their seats and rushing over to Hazuki.
"Hazuki-san, quick, quick, quick! Eriri is finally gone! Start searching!"
"Relax, relax," Hazuki said calmly as she opened a browser and began typing.
"There are quite a few Kashiwagi Eri works, but I never would have guessed that the real identity behind them was Eriri, the beautiful blonde tsundere.
Ah—found them! Looks like she's selling digital doujinshi on multiple platforms. But... wow, there are way more than I expected!"
The moment Hazuki searched for Kashiwagi Eri's name, an entire page full of doujinshi results appeared.
No—four full pages!
Scrolling to the bottom of the site, they saw the pagination clearly marked "4".
Aoba counted the results, her face filled with shock.
"Fifty per page... Nearly 200 books?! But Eriri is only 16 years old! How could she have drawn this much?!"
Though the search results only displayed the covers of the books, just looking at them was enough to make the girls' faces burn red.
Well... most of them.
One exception was Hifumi, who barely took one glance before fleeing back to her desk and burying her head in her arms—she'd probably need some time to recover.
Meanwhile, Umiko calmly scanned the doujin covers before speaking.
"Some things can't be measured by age, and you should know that better than anyone.
Still... Eriri's work is seriously impressive. But we'll need to buy them if we want to read them, right? Should we?"
Before she even finished speaking, Hazuki had already completed account registration and purchased every single one of Kashiwagi Eri's doujinshi—all 189 of them.
"Done! Purchased!"
Hazuki's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Alright! Let's pick one to read first! Maybe this will show us Eriri's true skills, and we can assign her work that suits her even better!"
A Suitable Job for a Doujin Artist?
Ichin's eyelid twitched as he looked at them.
"...Are you seriously planning to read doujinshi here in the office?"
"Hm?"
Umiko turned to him and asked, "Wait... you're still here?"
"..."
Shinoda Hajime looked over as well, smiling as she waved at Ichin.
"That's right, that's right! Ichin-kun, you can go home now. It's officially girls' time!"
Ichin had never planned to stay long in the first place—he just wanted to check when they were heading home.
But judging from the way things were going, it looked like they'd be here for a while.
"Alright then. Manage your own time—tomorrow isn't a day off," he reminded them before turning to Utaha.
"Let's go home."
As the two left the studio, the remaining girls excitedly dove into their newly acquired collection of Eriri's works.
"OH!!! Eriri has drawn this kind of genre before?!"
"Wait... this kind of scenario exists?! Eriri really knows a lot!"
"Wait, do you even understand this?"
"Not really... but I'm absolutely blown away."
"OH!!! This is terrifying... so this is the world of a doujinshi artist?!"
"This is so weird... but I need another look."
Meanwhile...
On her way home, Eriri had no idea that her entire hidden past was being dug up at record speed.
Even her earliest doujinshi works—the ones she thought had been buried in history—had now been completely exposed.
---
Returning to his apartment, Ichin boiled water for tea and then sat down on the sofa.
Phew... Those guys sure have an insane level of curiosity. The moment Eriri left, they immediately started digging into her past. I bet when she comes to the studio tomorrow, she's going to have a complete breakdown."
Utaha sat down beside him, her face carrying an amused, carefree smile.
"People have to take responsibility for their actions. Some black history is something she just has to live with. No need to worry about her—we just have to enjoy the show when the time comes."
"Black history, huh..."
Ichin leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling, before asking,
"Utaha, do you have any black history?"
"None at all," Utaha replied instantly, without a moment's hesitation.
"I was a good kid growing up. Never caused my parents any trouble. It wasn't until I met you this year, Ichin, that I finally stopped being a good girl."
"Hah, well, in that case, I guess we're even."
Ichin chuckled, his gaze still tilted upward.
"...Nope, not even close."
Utaha poked Ichin's chest with her finger, smirking as she continued,
"Auntie has told me plenty about your childhood. If we're talking about black history, you have more than enough to go around.
Like how you wet the bed as a kid... or how you once got chased by a dog and ended up crying on the street."
Ichin's eyes widened as he grabbed her hand in alarm.
"Oi, oi, oi—no way! My mom actually told you all that?! When did this happen?!"
"After she went back home, of course. Multiple times over the summer."
Utaha's grin widened as she continued happily,
"Sometimes, while you were busy working in the studio, I'd just call Auntie and chat with her. I told her I wanted to learn more about your childhood, and she was more than happy to share."
Ichin fell into silence.
He never imagined that after his mom returned home, she and Utaha had been regularly chatting on the phone. Even when he talked to his mom, she never once mentioned it.
Now, he was too scared to ask any further—who knew what other embarrassing childhood stories Utaha had dug up?
"...Ahem. Anyway, it's getting late. Let's go take a bath. I still have some unfinished homework, so I want to get it done and sleep early."
Utaha didn't argue. With a wide, mischievous grin on her face, she let Ichin pull her along toward the bathroom.
---
The Next Afternoon – Clubroom
Ichin and Utaha hadn't come yesterday, but today, they finally remembered to check on their clubroom, which had been left untouched all summer.
The club next door, the Service Club, was in a similar situation.
Since Yukino had been busy yesterday, she hadn't come either. But today, she dragged Eriri along to help clean up for the new semester.
After finishing mopping the floor, Eriri washed the mop, put it back, and stepped out of the restroom.
She wiped the sweat from her forehead and sighed,
Phew... This is way more exhausting than drawing..."
But as she entered the clubroom, she noticed that besides Yukino, Ichin, and Utaha, there was another girl sitting inside.
"...Wait. Could this be a client?"
Noticing Eriri's return, Yukino gestured to the empty chair beside her.
"Have a seat. A student has come to request our help. As a member of the Service Club, you need to be present."
"Oh, oh!!"
Eriri nodded excitedly and quickly sat down next to Yukino.
But the moment she saw the girl's face, she immediately recognized her.
"Huh? Wait a second... aren't you from the class next door?!"
...
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